Savannah Adams (Speaker) Designer, Formidable Joe Alterio (Speaker) Creative Director, Formidable UX patterns have been in heavy use for ten years now, but they possess a tactical and interaction focus that sometimes limits their value in a holistic view of how to design a good total User Experience, not just a good User Interaction. Formidable’s design practice is based on the belief that everyone, including users, are at their best when they have what they need. When asked to help a large multinational food corporation develop interaction model tests around a new way to deliver products, Formidable knew interaction-model based pattern testing wasn’t enough. The problem was multi-channel, multi-device, and introduced entirely new paradigms to a customer base. Our session explores our model for eliciting emotions in user testing through narrative and play-based techniques, resulting in better, more specific data for building user products. How could we cut to the heart of what customers actually want, and how could we reliably predict how customers would react? Join us to find out how our model worked and how it can amplify user interaction testing on the whole.

1. Emotion-Based User Testing
An Iterative Method of Design Exploration
18th October 2019

2. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
About Formidable
We are headquartered in Seattle, WA and have offices in London, UK, Denver, CO, and Phoenix, AZ.
We have remote workers in Belgium, Illinois, Nebraska, Louisiana, Maryland, and Wisconsin.
Seattle
Phoenix
Denver
London

3. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
October 2019
Art is telling,
design is listening.
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4. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
October 2019
THE PROBLEM WITH DESIGN

5. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
October 2019
The Apple logo, drawn from
memory, by 150 people.
A Misalignment of Communication

6. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
October 2019
Credit: Keith Tatum
The Current State of Affairs

7. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
October 2019
User testing is often
about getting reactions,
not listening.
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8. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
October 2019
Credit: graphic by Formidable, icon from the Noun Project,
based on framework by British Design Council
Iterating the Design Process
prototype,
test,
refine
DEFINE
DELIVER
DEVELO
P
research,
analyze,
synthesize
prototype,
test,
refine
DISCOVER

9. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
October 2019
Ideal State:
Get Feedback on Ideas,
Then Design
Credit: Formidable
IDEA
DESIGN
FEED
BACK
IDEA
FEEDBACK
DESIGN!
Current State of UX:
Design to Get Feedback
(Guess and Check)

10. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
October 2019
First model, then design.
10

11. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
October 2019
A Big Challenge
Credit: Library of
Congress

12. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
October 2019
The Value of Games
Credit: Boardgame
Geek

13. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
October 2019
Introducing the User Testing Deck, by Formidable
Credit: Formidable

14. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
October 2019
Emotion-Based User Testing, a 4-step process
Define play
space
Develop a
user-driven
activity
Synthesize
data with other
metrics
Observe
emotional
responses
Credit: Formidable, icons from the Noun Project

15. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
October 2019
15
Desire Paths
Credit: Web Urbanist

16. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
October 2019
Emotion-Based User Testing, a 4-step process
Define play
space
Develop a
user-driven
activity
Synthesize
data with other
metrics
Observe
emotional
responses
Credit: Formidable, icons from the Noun Project

17. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
October 2019
Emotion-based user testing
builds a solution with users
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18. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
October 2019
Types of Cards
Credit: Formidable

19. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
October 2019
Example of Cards in Use: Order a Pizza
Credit: Formidable

20. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
October 2019
Example of Cards in Use: Book a Hotel
Credit: Formidable

21. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
October 2019
Testing this way makes
complex hypotheticals
simple and concrete.
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22. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
October 2019
22
REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED
REDACTED REDACTED
REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED
REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED
AVERAGE
USER FLOW
COMPLEXITY

23. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
October 2019
• FUN, deep work
• Robust data
• Feedback on idea itself
• More solutions, faster
• Human-centered and accessible
• Reduces power of dark patterns
The case for emotion-based user testing
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24. SEATTLE INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE
Emotion-Based User Testing
October 2019
Find us @ formidable.com
JOE ALTERIO
joe.alterio@formidable.com
SAVANNAH ADAMS
savannah.adams@formidable.com
Thank you!